Give my regards
by Luna Shakspeare 19
Summary: Mal didn't haunt his dreams like she did Cobb, he remembered her like she was. Arthur wasn't in love with Mal but he did love her. She was his friend before she became Cobb's wife. He helped plan the wedding, waited outside when the children were born and was there for the holidays. He helped reassure the children that their father was coming home. They were his family to.


Author's note: I don't own Inception because if I did there would be a sequel. Before getting the Inception job, Arthur says he's going to the States and he told Ariadne Mal was lovely. I doubt Cobb was the only one on the team who was hurt when she died. I also bet he's closer to the family then we may think. This is set before Inception. Please leave a review.

Compared to most of the jobs they had taken on over the years, this one was one of the more tamed jobs. They were hired by the CEO of a security company to go into the dreams of an employee who was suspected of selling customer's personal information to their rivals. They got in and out without alerting the target that they were dreaming. Cobb and Arthur were able to go their separate ways with little to no hassle, Cobb planned to lay low somewhere in South Africa and Arthur was heading to the states.

"Give my regards." Cobb said before they went their separate ways at the airport.

When Arthur settled into his seat on plan, he pulled out his phone to check his messages before switching to airplane mode. He saw he had a missed call and a voicemail. Smiling when he saw the name, he put the phone to his ear, his smile growing when one of his favourite people started talking.

"Hi uncle Arthur. Granma says you'll be on the plane soon. We miss you and can't wait to see you." There was a pause. "James come say hi… Hi Arthur get here soon. We love you and Granma let us help make a cake for you. See you soon." Then the message ended. Arthur put his head phones in and prepared himself for the long flight.

When the plan finally landed Arthur eagerly made his made to baggage claim and made his way through customs. Before he even had a chance to look around, two little blondes attached themselves to his legs.

"Oh my god, look at you two, you're so big." Arthur crouched down and hugged them both tight. Mile's wife, Lucile came and hugged him, kissing both his cheeks. Lucile had an aura of motherly love and compassion, she was one of those old ladies who would stuff you would food as soon as you entered her house. Arthur was not going to leave that house the same weight he was when he arrived.

"It's good to see you." She said with a sweet smile, her French accent softened by her time in the States.

"You too, thanks for letting me stay with you." Arthur picked up James and sat him on his hip.

"We wouldn't have it any other way." Lucile assured him, she had always made him feel welcome.

The four of them made their way to the car. All the way home, Phillipa and James told Arthur about school, their friends, all the cakes they had baked with their Granma and they told him about all the plans they had for his stay, which involved a lot of trips to the park and tea parties. Arthur listened intently to them and answered all their question with great detail. He only stumbled when they asked about their father.

"He's trying really hard to come home to you guys, but work is pretty busy right now." Arthur tried to explain. He caught Lucile's eye in the rear-view mirror, her expression seemed tense, but Arthur knew it wasn't directed at him. Miles never kept anything from his wife, so she knew all about cream sharing and Cobb's role in her daughter's suicide. She wanted Cobb to come home, what worried her was how long it would take. It was dangerous for children to get used to having no father. How long would it be before the damage couldn't be fixed?

"How come you can come but he can't? I thought you worked together." Phillipa asked.

"Well we work together but we do different jobs, so I have an easier time coming to see you." Arthur explained, he felt better since this wasn't technically a lie.

Before the children could say anything else, Lucile announced that they were home. As they climbed out the car, Lucile told the children to get the cake they made Arthur. Arthur moved to take his bag out the trunk, but Lucile grabbed it before he could, Arthur tried to take it from her, but she wasn't having it.

"I'm old yes, but fragile, no. Those children keep be young." She assured him.

"I'm sure they do, and you don't look a day of sixty- five." Arthur smiled, it fell when he remembered her eyes when he talked about work. "About Cobb…"

"We'll talk tonight. Right now, your adorable niece and nephew have a cake for you." Lucile headed to the house, with the point man close behind her.

The cake was Victoria sponge covered in icing and every colour of sprinkles. As they ate, James and Phillipa bombarded Arthur with new drawings which he praised and said belong in a museum. Lucile watched in silence as her grandchildren interacted with the young man she saw as her son. Once the cake was eaten and the kitchen cleaned, they retreated to the living room and played board games. When it got closer to dinner, James asked if they could have pizza.

"You have had cake today, that's not too healthy." Lucile pointed out.

"But Uncle Arthur is here, it's a special occasion." James argued.

"Please Grandma." Whined Phillipa.

"Please." James whined

"Please Granma." Arthur joined in. Lucile looked at him.

"I thought I had two grandchildren." Arthur shrugged and the children copied him. Lucile signed dramatically and went to find the take-out menus. When her back was turned, Arthur gave each of them a high- five.

The end of the day came too quickly, and it was bedtime. James and Phillipa argued over which one of them Arthur would tuck in first. They finally settled on Phillipa going first and James going first the next night. Arthur tucked her pink blankets around her like a cocoon and read her a story.

"Okay, so tomorrow we have the park and then we try that new ice cream place, deal?" Phillipa asked, making sure he knew the plan.

"Deal. Now you had better get to sleep so you have enough energy." Arthur kissed her head and moved off her bed, but Phillipa grabbed his hand.

"Wait I have to ask you something. You know my friend Lucy and how her uncle is getting married, so she is getting a new aunt?" Phillipa said in a rush. Arthur raised an eyebrow at her, she didn't wait for him to respond. "So, when are you getting us an aunt?" Arthur paused and thought very carefully.

"Well, it takes time to find someone you want to marry, and I work a lot, so I don't meet many woman." Arthur explained.

"Granma says you too handsome to be single and I agree." Phillipa smiled. Arthur kissed her head again and decided he should talk to her grandmother about his dating life (or lack of).

"Well if I do meet someone, I'm going have to make sure you two get along. Can't have my favourite girl not get along with her aunt."

"You will and when you do, she is going to be so pretty and cool and she's going to love us."

"Just like I do. Now goodnight." Arthur tucked the covers in one last time and turned on her night light (she insisted she wasn't scared. She just liked to look at it). Arthur moved to James's room and waited for Lucile to finish reading his story. Once she was done, leaving the two alone, Arthur sat on his bed.

"So how is the little man doing with two girls?"

"Okay I guess, my friends come over a lot so it's not like I don't have any guy time." James explained. Arthur nodded his head.

"Well I'll make sure we have some quality guy time." Arthur promised him.

"Can we play soccer?"

"Absolutely. Anything else going on?"

"I miss Daddy."

"I know and he misses you too, but I promise he's working really hard to come home."

"I really miss Mommy, but she can't come back can she?" James whispered.

"No, she can't but she loved you so much and if it was possible, we'd bring her back, but that's not how it works." Arthur explained.

"I'm okay, we'll have fun while you're here right?" James asked.

"I promise. Love you little man."

"Love you. Good night."

Arthur made his way to the kitchen and saw Lucile making something to drink. He sat down and she passed him a mug. They drank in silence until Lucile broke it.

"Does he talk about her?"

"It hurts too much."

"You loved her too."

"She was his wife, mother of his children."

"She was your best friend first, you introduced them."

"She doesn't haunt me like she does him. I remember her as she was."

Lucile said nothing. She knew all about how her daughter's memory was preserved in her son in law's mind. How she would sabotage them, how she wouldn't hesitate to shoot either of them and how she prevented Cobb from building anything in the dreams. It disgusted her that her daughter's memory had been twisted into something so dark, but she was thankful Arthur remembered her as she deserved to be. The day her daughter brought home this skinny American boy that she had met at collage, Lucile adopted him as her own. He quickly became known as her best friend. Introduced her to Cobb. He was more help to her in planning her wedding than any bridesmaid could ever be. He patiently waited outside the waiting room while both children were being born and happily took the tile of Uncle. Before Mal died, he was there every weekend, every holiday. This was his family as well. Arthur was not in love with Mal, but he did love her. Cobb wasn't the only one hurting.

"Phillipa said you said I was too good looking to be single." Arthur said, attempting to change the subject. Lucile laughed.

"Miles was telling me about this student he has, Ariadne. One of a kind, better than Cobb he says. She's sweet, cheeky and very driven." Lucile said. "And it breaks my heart to see a catch like yourself remain single. A waste even."

"Ariadne, like the lady of the maze?"

"King Arthur and Princess Ariadne. Think of the beautiful grandchildren you could give me."

"I think two is enough." Arthur tried. This wasn't the first time Lucile talked about children and marriage to Arthur.

"I disagree."

"Maybe I'll let you introduce us." Arthur tried.

"Let me, my dear boy you will meet her whether you like it or not. I expect to be mentioned in your speech when you marry her after seeing how perfect for you she is." Lucile bid him goodnight and headed to bed.

Arthur sat there in the quiet, thinking about what Lucile said. Settling down didn't sound so bad. A legal job where he could come home each night. Ideally, they would leave close to Phillipa and James, but a normal job would make it easier to travel so that wasn't an issue. Giving up dreaming would not be easy, but he liked to think if he had a good enough reason then he could do it. A chance at a life and a family seemed like a good enough reason. Maybe he should talk to Lucile about Miles's student.


End file.
